Hansel and Gretel

by Rika Lesser, Paul O. Zelinsky (Illustrator)

Overview

The first Grimm tale illustrated by 1998 Caldecott medalist Paul O. Zelinsky is once again available in hardcover. Originally published in 1984, Zelinsky's paintings for Hansel and Gretel are as compelling as his later work and will captivate readers with their mysterious beauty, emotional power, and brilliant originality. Each spread brings to life a world as rich and real as our own—detailed, colorful, sensual—yet filled with the unearthly shadowed magic of the Hansel and Gretel folktale. Whether portraying the fear and anguish of children abandoned by their parents, the delicious sumptuousness of a candy house, or the joy of being reunited with one's family, the artist captures the subtle nuances of emotion and the tactile quality of the physical world with exquisite accuracy and elegance.The hauntingly spare retelling of this perennial favorite by the poet Rika Lesser perfectly complements the vivid storytelling of Zelinsky's artwork. Once again this gifted artist gives us a unique interpretation of a beloved fairy tale, allowing us to both see it anew and rediscover its eternal truths.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780525461524
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	02/01/1999
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	409,179
Product dimensions:	8.38(w) x 11.56(h) x 0.34(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Rika Lesser is a poet and translator of Swedish and German literature.

Paul Zelinsky was born in Evanston, Illinois. He attended Yale University, where he took a course with Maurice Sendak, which later inspired him to pursue a career in children's books. Afterwards he received a graduate degree in painting from Tyler School of Art, in Philadelphia and Rome. Paul Zelinsky lives in New York with his wife, Deborah, and the younger of their two daughters.

Editorial Reviews

Originally published in Britain, this is a moody, intense version of the fairy tale that Browne has infused with modern references, heightening the uncanny aspects of an already frightening story. Famine has struck, and the father is persuaded by a frowsy stepmother to ditch their children in the woods. She dies by the time Hansel and Gretel find their way out, after killing the witch. Browne presents jarring, poignant touches through his surrealist eyetrees claw their way to the sky, Gretel's knees are grimly unwashed, the oily-looking wallpaper in their home is cracked and peeling. If the family's poverty of other versions has an aura of romance, this book shows a grinding, terrible hungerfirst for food and then for happiness. It is an unforgettable, moving vision. Ages 3-8. (April)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Gr 1-4-A brooding, surrealistic version of the classic fairy tale. Wallace modernizes the Grimms' story, turning the stepmother into the more ambiguous "the woman"; making Gretel into Hansel's equal partner (eliminating her crying); and omitting all mention of God. Otherwise, the text follows the original pretty faithfully. The illustrations, done in pastel pencils on black paper, have an eerie gloominess and iridescent quality. The witch's face is only shown on the cover, but the pictures inside are scary enough. When the children are alone in the forest, they are tiny figures in an alien, threatening landscape. What looks like a giant, half-submerged face seems to threaten them at one point; a huge hourglass next to Hansel's cage underlines the urgency of his danger; and the siblings' reunion with their father takes place near a graveyard. At the end, the text proclaims the traditional litany of "...they lived in perfect happiness from then on," but a turn of the page reveals an ominous rebirth of the witch. Somewhat surprisingly, there are not many good picture-book versions of this tale in print. James Marshall's (Dial, 1990) is excellent for the very young-the witch is not scary and a sense of humor pervades the text; Susan Jeffers's (Dial, 1980) is traditional and beautiful. Wallace's is unusual and emphasizes the dark side of the tale. It is definitely a distinguished book to savor; independent readers will pore over its pages and scrutinize its details.-Judith Constantinides, East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA

School Library Journal

Sinister but not gruesome, this retelling, first published in Canada, of one of the scariest of all fairy tales gives the story a contemporary setting. There's one basic change: the stepmother of the original is the mother this time, which is something many children may have always felt anyway. The pictures show a dark forest on a stormy shore. Times are hard; the mother is a scold with her hair in rollers; the father is too weak to stand up to her when she insists they abandon their children. Done with pastel pencil on black paper, the illustrations have a brooding, surreal fearfulness; and though the words say that the story ends happily, the pictures remain scary, the witch always a threat. Use this version with older readers who know the story.

Hazel Rochman